S4^ 


OCSB  UBRAR? 


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A.DDRESS 


DEUVKRED   AT  THE 

LAYING  OF  THE  CORNER-STONE 

OF  THE  _ 

NEW  CHAPEL 

JTor  tje  85sf  of  ti&e  Iinmatcs  of  t^e 

SAILORS'  SNUG  HARBOR, 

ON  STATEN  ISLAND. 

BY   W.  W.  PHILLIPS,  D.D. 

PCBLISHED     BY     RSQCEST     OT     THE     TBCSTEES. 


PRINTED    BY    EDWARD    0.    JENKINS, 

26  Fraskfort  Street. 

1855. 


ADDRESS. 

The  Institution  in  whose  behalf  we 
are  assembled  is  one  of  the  ornaments 
of  our  State — one  for  whose  success 
and  prosperous  condition  we  have  rea- 
son to  feel  thankful  to  an  all- wise  Pro- 
vidence. A  comfortable  home  has  been 
here  provided  for  a  most  interesting 
class  of  our  fellow-citizens — a  class  to 
whom  we  are  indebted,  under  God,  for 
our  commerce  and  its  attendant  benefits 
— for  our  intercourse  with  foreign  na- 
tions— and  for  our  accretion  and  accu- 
mulation of  knowledge,  and  of  wealth 
derived  from  that  source.  They  also 
carry  for  us  the  Bible  and  our  mission- 


4 

aries  to  the  destitute  and  heathen  of 
other  lands,  and  constitute  an  arm  of 
our  defence  in  time  of  war.  What 
would  our  State  or  Nation  have  been 
without  commerce  ?  A  common  sym- 
bol of  national  prosperity  is  the  repre- 
sentation of  a  ship  with  swelled  sails. 
But  of  what  use  are  ships,  however 
strong  and  beautiful,  without  sailors  ? 
No  men  expose  themselves  to  great- 
er risks — endure  more  privations  and 
hardships  than  weather-beaten  mari- 
ners. They  leave  home  and  country, 
and  land,  to  brave  the  storms,  expo- 
sures, and  dangers  of  the  ocean  in 
every  latitude.  Surely  if  any  mem- 
bers of  the  body  pohtic  deserve  at  the 
close  of  life,  or  when  prematurely  dis- 
abled and  worn  out,  a  quiet  haven — a 


peaceful  retreat — a  comfortable  home 
— thej  are  those  who  have  been  pre- 
served and  permitted  to  return  from  the 
perils  of  the  sea,  who  have  made  the 
voyage  of  life  to  bring  to  our  shores 
the  products  of  the  arts  and  sciences, 
of  the  manufactures  and  of  the  agri- 
culture of  other  lands — to  increase  the 
wealth,  the  comfort,  and  luxuries  of 
their  feUow-men. 

Such  an  asylum  has  been  provided, 
not  by  the  munificence  of  the  State — 
she  has  been  saved  the  outlay  which 
would  have  been  necessary  to  provide 
it — but  by  the  bequest  of  a  benevo- 
lent individual,  who  had  himself  had 
experience  of  the  toils  of  the  war  with 
the  elements,  of  the  privations  and  suf- 
ferings, and  at  the  same  time  possessed 
1* 


the  large,  free,  and  generous  heart, 
with  the  warm  sympathy  of  a  sea- 
man. 

Captain  Robert  Richard  Randall,  of 
the  city  of  New  York,  did,  by  his  last 
will  and  testament,  bearing  date  the 
first  day  of  June,  1801,  after  leaving 
certain  specific  legacies,  bequeath  all 
the  residue  of  his  estate,  real  and  per- 
sonal, to  the  Chancellor  of  the  State, 
the  Mayor  and  Recorder  of  the  city  of 
New  York,  the  President  of  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  the  President  and 
Vice-President  of  the  Marine  Society, 
the  Senior  Minister  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,  and  the  Senior  Minister  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  said  city, 
and  their  successors  in  office  respect- 
ively, to  be  received  by  them  in  trust, 


and  applied  to  the  erection  of  an  Asy- 
lum or  Marine  Hospital,  to  be  called 
"The  Sailors'  Snug  Harbor,"  for  the 
maintenance  and  support  of  decrepit, 
aged,  and  worn-out  sailors. 

The  same  was  to  be  opened  as  soon 
as  the  income  of  the  estate  should,  in 
the  judgment  of  the  Trustees,  be  suffi- 
cient to  support  fifty  seamen.  The 
persons  thus  designated  being  also  the 
appointed  executors  of  the  will  of 
Captain  Randall,  and  finding  inconve- 
nience in  the  management  of  the  es- 
tate from  the  changes  which  took 
place  in  the  ordinary  course  of  elec- 
tions and  appointment  to  those  offices, 
applied  for,  and  received  in  February, 
1806,  an  Act  of  Incorporation.  The 
first  Trustees  were  John  Lansing,  jun., 


8 

Chancellor  of  this  State ;  De  Witt 
Clinton,  Mayor  ;  Maturin  Livingston, 
Recorder  of  the  city  of  New  York  ; 
John  Murray,  President  of  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  ;  James  Farquar, 
President  of  the  Marine  Society  ;  Tho- 
mas Farmar,  President  of  the  same ; 
Benjamin  Moore,  Senior  Minister  of 
the  Episcopal  Church ;  and  John 
Rodgers,  Senior  Minister  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church.  At  their  first  meet- 
ing they  elected  officers,  adopted  by- 
laws, and  appointed  a  committee  to 
prepare  a  seal  for  the  Corporation, 
the  device  of  which,  when  subsequent- 
ly adopted,  represented  a  harbor  form- 
ed by  two  points  of  land  projecting 
into  the  sea,  in  which  a  ship  appears 
riding  safely  at  anchor,   and  on  the 


9 

shore  a  view  of  the  Hospital,  with  the 
motto,  "Portum  petimus  fessi." 

In  October,  1806,  the  reported  in- 
come of  the  whole  estate  was  $4,243. 
Subsequently  it  became  less,  some  of 
the  tenements  having  been  vacated.  By 
the  Act  of  Incorporation,  the  presence 
of  five  of  the  Trustees  was  declared 
necessary  to  constitute  a  quorum  for 
the  transaction  of  business  ;  owing  to 
the  difficulty  of  securing  the  attend- 
ance of  that  number  of  the  Trustees, 
who  had  other  public  and  pressing  du- 
ties to  perform,  several  meetings  oc- 
curred at  which  no  business  was  trans- 
acted for  the  want  of  a  quorum.  From 
November,  1809,  no  meeting  was  held 
until  February,  1814  ;  at  that  meeting 
the  Trustees  adopted  a  memorial  to  the 


10 

Legislature,  in  which  they  state  that 
the  income  then  amounted  to  $6,000  a 
year  ;  that  the  Chancellor  resided  at  Al- 
bany, and  declined  acting  as  a  Trustee 
from  scruples  of  official  delicacy  ;  that 
the  Senior  Minister  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  had,  for  a  long  time,  been  pre- 
vented by  sickness  from  attending 
their  meetings  ;  that  doubts  existed 
who  is,  in  the  contemplation  of  the 
law,  the  Senior  Minister  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  ;  that  the  same  doubts 
would  soon  arise  in  determining  who 
was  the  Senior  Minister  of  the  Episco- 
pal Church ;  that  their  difficulties  in 
obtaining  a  meeting  had  been  in- 
creased from  the  circumstance  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  having  discon- 
tinued its  meetings  and  elections   of 


11 

officers.  They,  therefore,  petitioned 
the  Legislature  to  pass  a  law  declaring 
that  three  of  their  number  should  con- 
stitute a  quorum,  and  also  a  law  desig- 
nating the  persons  contemplated  in 
the  Act  of  Incorporation  as  Trustees 
of  the  Episcopal  and  Presbyterian 
Churches. 

The  Legislature  declared  that  the 
Rector  of  Trinity  Church,  or  in  case 
of  his  absence  or  sickness,  the  Assistant 
Kector,  and  the  Minister  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  then  in  Wall  street,  or 
of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  were 
the  Trustees  of  said  Corporation. 

They  also  appended  an  act  requir- 
ing the  Trustees  to  make  an  annual 
report  of  the  state  of  their  funds  to 
the  Legislature  of  the  State,  and  to 


12 

the  Common  Council  of  the  city. 
Thus,  the  State  and  the  City  were 
constituted  the  guardians  of  the  trust. 
From  May,  1814,  to  January,  1817, 
no  regular  meeting  of  the  Trustees 
was  held.  At  that  meeting,  which  was 
summoned  by  a  resolution  of  the  Com- 
mon Council,  calling  for  a  report  of 
the  state  of  their  funds,  as  by  law  re- 
quired, only  four  Trustees  were  pre- 
sent. They,  however,  made  a  report, 
from  which  it  appeared  that  the  an- 
nual income  had  increased  to  $6,659 
92.  In  that  year,  1817,  the  Trustees 
petitioned  the  Legislature  for  permis- 
sion to  change  the  site  of  the  Hospi- 
tal. Instead  of  erecting  it  on  the  21 
acres  in  the  upper  part  of  the  city,  as 
had  been  contemplated  by  the  testa- 


13 

tor,  which  would  absorb  a  large  por- 
tion of  their  revenue,  depreciate  the 
value  of  the  adjoining  lots,  and  neces- 
sarily confine  the  inmates  to  narrow 
limits,  they  asked  to  be  authorized  to 
purchase  ground  for  the  Hospital  at 
the  entrance  or  in  sight  of  the  har- 
bor of  New  York — in  the  view  of  all 
the  seamen  navigating  the  ships  and 
the  vessels  which  pass  in  and  out  of 
this  port.  They  urged  that,  by  such 
an  arrangement,  the  whole  estate  de- 
vised might  be  appropriated  to  the 
purposes  of  revenue,  to  support  the 
Hospital ;  whilst  the  health,  morals, 
and  comfort  of  the  seamen  would  be 
greatly  promoted.  Such  a  situation 
would  be  most  animating  to  the  en- 
terprising sailor,  who  is  about  to  ex- 


14 

pose  himself  to  the  dangers  of  the  sea, 
or  the  increased  danger  of  fighting  the 
battles  of  his  country  on  the  ocean  ; 
and  would  also  be  most  gratifying  and 
consoling  to  those  who  have  passed 
through  such  scenes,  and  found  this 
asylum,  from  which  they  might  daily 
witness  the  extensive  navigation  in 
which  they  were  once  engaged,  or 
hail  the  flag  of  their  country,  which 
they  had  once  defended.  Such  a  situ- 
ation would  be  most  pleasing  to  the 
aged,  decrepit,  or  worn-out  sailor,  and 
contribute  to  gladden,  if  not  to  pro- 
tract, the  remnant  of  his  days.  They 
also  mentioned  that,  in  consequence 
of  the  opinion  which  they  had  found 
generally  to  prevail  in  favor  of  erect- 
ing the  said  Hospital  at  the  entrance 


16 

of  this  harbor,  and  to  further  this 
object,  they  were  tendered  the  lib- 
eral offer  of  having  conveyed  to  them 
gratuitously  a  lot  of  land,  not  less  than 
ten  acres,  on  Staten  Island,  for  the 
accommodation  of  such  a  Hospital, 
situated  on  the  Bay,  between  Point 
Diamond  and  the  Quarantine  ground. 
The  person  who  made  this  offer  was 
the  late  Daniel  D.  Tompkins. 

Reasonable  as  was  this  petition,  great 
and  acknowledged  as  would  be  the  ad- 
vantages to  the  Institution  of  such  an 
arrangement,  it  was  not  granted  until 
1828,  eleven  years  after — the  request 
having,  in  the  meantime,  been  renewed 
and  urged  on  successive  Legislatures. 
This  delay  was  doubtless  occasioned 
by  the  numerous  suits  at  law  which 


were  brought  for  wresting  the  whole 
property  out  of  the  hands  of  the  Trust- 
ees, by  persons  claiming  to  be  heirs  of 
Captain  Randall,  and  by  a  fear  lest 
any  change  or  modification  of  the  will 
might  prejudice,  if  not  forfeit  the  trust. 
The  law-ofiScer  of  the  State  having  in- 
vestigated the  question  of  forfeiture, 
and  satisfied  the  Legislature  as  to  their 
competency  to  grant  the  request — in- 
asmuch as  the  design  of  the  testator 
would  be  more  effectually  accom- 
plished by  a  change  of  site — they  au- 
thorized the  purchase  of  a  suitable 
and  convenient  tract  of  land,  either  on 
the  island  of  New  York  or  adjacent 
thereto,  the  purchase  being  subject  to 
the  approval  of  the  Chancellor. 

Such  were  the  small  beginnings,  and 


17 

some  of  the  difficulties  of  this  Trust  in 
the  early  part  of  its  history,  and  will 
explain  why  the  income  from  the  estate 
did  not  increase  more  rapidly.  The 
litigation  was  varied,  multiform,  and 
protracted,  involving  considerable  ex- 
pense, and  at  the  same  time  impairing 
the  revenue  of  the  estate.  During  its 
continuance  no  permanent  disposition 
could  be  made  of  the  property,  nor 
could  the  rents  be  collected.  It  was 
not  until  March,  1830,  that  the  final 
decision  in  favor  of  the  Trust  was  ob- 
tained from  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States.  It  is  probable,  how- 
ever, that  if  the  decision  had  been 
earlier  obtained,  some  of  the  lots  would 
have  been  disposed  of  at  lower  rates 

than  were  realized  afterwards,  and  in 
2* 


a  manner  to  interfere  with  the  subse- 
quent extension  and  improvements  of 
the  city,  by  which  the  vahie  of  the 
property  was  so  greatly  enhanced. 

The  permission  obtained  from  the 
Legislature  to  reserve  the  whole  of 
the  land  in  the  city  for  revenue,  and 
the  favorable  termination  of  their  legal 
contest,  enabled  the  Trustees  to  take 
immediate  steps  to  carry  into  effect  the 
benevolent  design  of  the  donor.  In 
consequence  of  the  opening  of  streets 
through  the  property,  according  to  the 
adopted  plan  of  the  city,  there  were 
gores  of  land  and  small  lots  belonging 
to  the  estate  left  inaccessible  from  any 
street,  and  interlocked  with  gores  be- 
longing to  other  parties.  It  became 
necessary  to  purchase  the  latter,  to 


1^ 

render  the  whole  tenantable,  which 
was  done  by  a  large  outlay  at  the 
time,  but  to  the  prospective  and  per- 
manent advantage  of  the  Trust.  The 
lots  thus  increased  in  number,  and 
regulated,  were  leased  at  public  auc- 
tion. 

In  May,  1831,  the  Trustees  pur- 
chased this  farm,  containing  130  acres 
of  land,  for  $10,000.  Subsequently 
they  purchased  21  acres,  with  a  water 
privilege,  which  had  been  originally  a 
part  of  this  farm,  but  had  been  sold, 
and  was  used  for  manufacturing  pur- 
poses, and  was  about  to  pass  into  other 
hands  ;  the  price  paid  for  this  was 
$6,000.  These  two  parcels  of  land 
now  constitute  the  farm  of  the  Sailors' 
Snug  Harbor.     Having  obtained  pos- 


20 

session  of  these  premises,  they  com- 
menced improving  them  for  the  pur- 
poses to  which  they  had  been  devoted. 
In  October,  1831,  they  laid  the  corner- 
stone of  this  centre  building  in  which 
we  are  now  meeting.  On  the  1st  of 
August,  1833,  the  Institution  was 
formally  opened,  with  30  men,  who 
had  been  received  as  inmates  by  a 
committee  appointed  for  that  purpose. 
It  was  an  interesting  occasion,  and 
deeply  affecting  to  the  hearts  of  all 
who  were  present.  They  saw  before 
them  a  company  of  men,  some  of  whom 
were  lame,  others  blind,  some  aged, 
and  all  decrepit  worn-out  mariners, 
who  had  come  here  to  spend  the  rem- 
nant of  their  days  in  this  quiet  and 
peaceful  asylum. 


21 

Among  those  who  have  occupied  this 
Trust  and  have  passed  away  from  us, 
there  have  been  men  distinguished  for 
their  talents,  integrity,  high  sense  of 
honor,  and  irreproachable  character. 
All  no  doubt  performed  their  duty  faith- 
fully to  this  Institution,  yet  in  reviewing 
the  record  of  their  proceedings  we  may 
say  without  giving  offence,  as  we  will 
mention  no  names,  that  some  of  them 
appear  to  have  taken  a  deeper  and 
more  lively  interest  in  it,  and  to  have 
done  much  more  for  it,  than  others. 
They  seem  to  have  been  raised  up  and 
to  have  been  continued  in  office  to  meet 
the  very  exigencies  of  the  Trust.  They 
were  peculiarly  qualified  for  the  work 
which  was  to  be  done  in  their  day,  for 
this  Institution.  They  have  left  in  their 


22 

recorded  acts  :  in  the  able  papers  pre- 
pared by  them  ;  in  their  far-reaching 
plans  and  arrangements  respecting  it ; 
in  the  judicious  By-Laws  enacted  by 
them  for  its  government ;  in  their  care- 
ful and  economical  husbanding  of  its  re- 
sources ;  in  their  personal  attention  and 
labor  given  to  it  gratuitously ;  evidence 
of  their  superior  wisdom,  strict  integ- 
rity, and  disinterested  philanthropy. 
The  Sailors'  Snug  Harbor  owes  them,  as 
well  as  its  noble  founder,  a  lasting  debt 
of  gratitude.  Under  then*  fostering 
care,  with  the  blessing  of  Providence, 
the  little  rivulet  which  half  a  century 
ago  furnished  the  small  amount  of 
$4,000  a  year,  after  overcoming  the  ob- 
structions and  passing  through  its  many 
windings,  fertilizing  its  banks   during 


23 

its  whole  course,  and  producing  all  that 
we  see  around  us  here  to-day,  now 
has  become  a  mighty  river,  furnishing 
$75,000  a  year,  and  instead  of  support- 
ing 30  inmates  now  supports  300. 

The  Trustees  have  aimed  to  provide 
a  home  for  the  inmates  of  this  Institu- 
tion, in  which  all  their  wants  shall  be 
supplied  and  every  comfort  afforded 
them.  They  have  good  and  wholesome 
food,  suitable  clothing,  airy  apartments, 
ample  grounds  for  exercise  and  recre- 
ation ;  a  reading  room,  furnished  with 
a  good  library,  with  the  daily  and 
weekly  newspapers,  and  with  some  of 
the  periodical  publications  ;  they  have 
also  a  physician  and  nurses  to  attend 
them  when  sick. 

But,    gentlemen,    we   have   found, 


2:t 

and  these  inmates  have  found,  that 
happiness  does  not  consist  in  the 
enjoyment  of  these  outward  things 
in  occupying  an  eUgible  site  for  our 
dweUing ;  in  having  spread  out  be- 
fore us  a  beautiful,  enhvening  and  en- 
chanting prospect  of  harbor,  and  ship- 
ping, and  bustling  city,  at  a  sufficient 
distance  from  us  to  be  out  of  the  reach 
of  its  noise  and  dust ;  of  well  cultivated 
grounds,  of  specimens  of  tasteful  archi- 
tecture ;  nor  in  breathing  a  pure  air,  in 
a  participation  of  an  abundance  of  the 
good  things  of  this  life  ;  nor  in  health 
and  ease,  and  quietness,  and  pleasant 
social  intercourse.  All  these  and  more 
of  the  same  nature  may  be  enjoyed 
by  the  outer  man,  and  yet  the  indivi- 
dual may  not  be  happy.     He  has  an 


25 

inner  man,  an  immortal  mind,  a  pre- 
cious never  dying  spirit,  which  is  the 
jewel  in  the  casket  ;  whose  wants  and 
necessities  are  not  reached  by  these 
outward  and  material  appliances.  It 
is'  rendered  restless,  dissatisfied,  dis- 
contented, at  times  depressed  and  in- 
describably wretched  by  its  vast  and 
insatiable  desires ;  by  its  raging  and 
enslaving  passions  ;  by  its  inordinate^ 
corrupt,  and  debasing  lusts  in  its  present 
state.  It  cannot  be  quieted,  it  cannot 
be  filled  with  material  things.  Silver 
and  gold,  precious  stones,  and  whatever 
may  be  procured  with  them,  cannot 
feed  or  gratify  its  cravings.  It  seeks  its 
kindred — communion  with  the  source 
of  its  emanation,  from  which  it  has 

fallen,  from  which  it  has  apostatized 
3 


and  become  alienated.  It  was  created 
in  the  image  of  God,  fitted  to  enjoy 
his  favor,  in  which  consisted  its  Hfe,  its 
true  happiness.  Both  these  have  been 
lost  through  its  default,  and  the  Divine 
displeasure  against  it  has  been  in- 
curred. It  is  still  entirely  dependent, 
in  the  hands  and  at  the  disposal  of  the 
Creator,  as  its  Lawgiver  and  Judge ; 
it  cannot  escape  from  his  presence,  nor 
cast  off  its  responsibility  to  Him.  It 
is  conscious  of  its  guilt  and  just  con- 
demnation by  his  law.  It  knows  that 
He  is  holy,  and  just,  and  true  ;  that 
He  will  execute  the  penalty  it  has  in- 
curred ;  and  that  the  day  of  righteous 
retribution  must  come.  How  can  it 
ever  be  quieted  ?  How  can  it  ever  be  de- 
livered from  fear,  and  obtain  peace  and 


27 

rest  ?  How  can  it  be  brought  to  the  en- 
joyment of  ahappiness  worthy  of  itself, 
except  by  having  the  image  of  Grod 
restored  in  it,  and  by  being  reinstated 
in  the  Divine  favor?  There  must  be  a 
reconciUation  effected  between  it  and 
its  offended  Grod,  and  an  entire  rege- 
neration of  all  its  faculties  and  powers, 
of  all  its  tastes,  desires,  affections,  and 
passions.  The  only  way  in  which  this 
can  be  done  is  through  the  mediation 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God,  manifest  in  the  flesh,  who  has  put 
away  sin  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself, 
and  is  a  merciful  and  faithful  High 
Priest  to  make  intercession  for  us  at 
the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high. 
For  these  precious  truths,  which 
reveal  to  us  the  great  secret  of  human 


28 

happiness,  we  are  indebted  to  the  gospel 
of  the  grace  of  God,  and  which  is  the 
true  and  efficacious  panacea  for  all  our 
ills  and  woes.  It  may  be  neglected  by 
multitudes,  ridiculed  by  some,  despis- 
ed and  rejected  by  others,  but  to  all 
who  believe,  it  is  the  wisdom  of  God 
and  the  power  of  God,  unto  sal- 
vation. It  alone  teaches  the  way  of 
peace,  of  holiness,  and  of  eternal  life. 
Where  do  we  find  hospitals  like  this, 
and  kindred  institutions  for  the  ame- 
lioration of  the  condition  of  men  ? 
Where  the  influence  of  the  gospel 
has  reached,  and  is  felt.  Where  do 
we  find  unbending  integrity,  uniform 
and  universal  uprightness  and  probity 
— adherence  to  high  and  honorable 
principles — staid,    consistent,  and  re- 


liable  character  ?  Where  a  sense  of 
responsibility  to  God  is  felt,  where  His 
authority  is  reverenced,  and  His  law  is 
acknowledged  as  the  ultimate  standard 
of  duty.  Where  do  we  find  industry, 
enterprise,  thrift,  a  pure  morality, 
intelligence,  subjection  to  the  powers 
that  be,  contentment,  charity,  benevo- 
lence ?  Where  the  gospel  is  faithfully 
taught,  believed  and  obeyed.  Where  do 
we  find  men  solemn,  thoughtful,  tran- 
quil, hopeful,  and  joyful  in  the  imme- 
diate prospect  of  death,  reconciled  to 
their  approaching  dissolution,  and  wil- 
ling to  depart?  Where  the  consola- 
tions of  the  gospel  are  ministered  and 
received  ;  where  men's  souls  have  been 
sanctified  under  its  influence,  and  are 

inspired  with  its  hopes.     And,  permit 
*3 


80 

me  to  add,  that  when  all  of  us,  who 
are  now  present,  shall  come  to  the 
closing  scene  of  our  life  on  earth — to 
the  last  parting  scene — however  we 
may  now  differ  in  station,  in  religious 
names,  creeds,  and  professions  ;  in  our 
pursuits  and  sentiments  on  other  sub- 
jects, we  shall  then  feel  that  one  thing 
is  needful ;  it  is  an  interest  in  Him  who 
is  the  resurrection  and  the  life.  To  be 
able  to  say,  according  to  truth,  in  that 
hour, '  'I  know  in  whom  I  have  believed, 
and  that  my  Redeemer  liveth,"  will 
be  worth  infinitely  more  than  all  that 
earth  can  give. 

Believing  these  truths,  we  have, 
from  the  opening  of  this  Institution, 
provided  religious  instruction  for  the 
inmates,  with   a   view  of   promoting 


81 

their  best  and  highest  interests,  but 
without  any  desire  or  attempt  to  in- 
fringe the  Hberty  of  conscience.  We 
have  treated  them  as  men  who  have 
souls  as  well  as  bodies.  We  would  not 
undertake  to  manage  the  affairs  of  the 
Institution — we  could  not  hope  suc- 
cessfully to  govern  its  inmates,  without 
a  recognition  of  the  principles  of  the 
gospel.  Our  hearts'  desire  and  prayer 
to  God  for  them  has  been,  and  is  still, 
that  they  may  be  saved,  from  toil  and 
care,  and  pain,  and  penury  not  only, 
but  from  their  sins  and  from  the  wrath 
to  come  ;  that  they  may  improve  their 
time  and  privileges  here  by  making 
preparation  for  another  and  a  better 
world. 

We  come  to-day  to  lay  the  corner- 


83 

stone  of  a  more  commodious  and  ap- 
propriate house  of  worship  than  the 
place  which  has  been  hitherto  used  for 
that  purpose,  in  the  hope  that  those 
who  shall  occupy  it,  by  taking  heed  to 
their  ways  according  to  the  word  of 
God,  which  shall  here  be  ministered 
to  them,  may  find  rest  to  their  souls, 
and  have  this  earthly  temple  made  to 
them,  through  grace,  the  vestibule  of 
that  spiritual,  heavenly,  and  glorious 
temple  above,  the  light  of  which  shall 
be  the  Lord  God,  and  the  Lamb  for- 
ever. 

In  the  acknowledgment  of  our  de- 
pendence on  our  God,  by  way  of 
seeking  his  protection  and  blessing  in 
rearing  this  structure  to  the  honor  of 
his  name ;  in  allusion  to  the  fundamen- 


33 

tal  doctrine,  "  that  we  are  built  upon 
the  apostles  and  prophets,  Jesus  Christ 
himself  being  the  Chief  Corner-Stone, 
that  he  is  the  elect,  tried,  precious 
stone,  the  rock  upon  which  the  Church 
is  built,"  and  on  which  all  our  hopes  for 
time  and  for  eternity  rest,  we  lay  the 
corner-stone  of  this  building,  which  is 
to  be  dedicated  to  the  worship  of  the 
One  only  living  and  true  God,  in  the 
name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son, 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 


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